Lindsay Lohan to Make Stage Debut in David Mamet's 'Speed-the-Plow'

The London revival will see the tabloid queen step into a role originally played on Broadway in 1988 by Madonna.

NEW YORK — It had to happen. After a bumpy rollercoaster ride onscreen and in courtrooms, Lindsay Lohan will attempt to revive her acting career by tackling the stage for the first time, in a London revival of David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow this fall.

Presenting company the Ambassador Theatre Group announced on Thursday that Lohan has committed to a West End run at the Playhouse Theatre in Mamet’s satirical swipe at the Hollywood movie business.

The three-character 1988 play centers on Bobby Gould, the recently promoted head of production at a major studio, and his longtime associate Charlie Fox, eager to pitch a blockbuster vehicle for an A-list star. Lohan will play Gould’s temporary secretary Karen, who derails that plan by using her access to get a green light instead for her own pet project.

Karen was originally played on Broadway by Madonna in an inauspicious stage debut that many critics felt was the weak link, detracting attention from the merits of the play. That production also starred Joe Mantegna and Ron Silver.

The play was revived to critical acclaim on Broadway in 2008, with Elisabeth Moss as Karen alongside Raul Esparza and Jeremy Piven. Riding high from his Entourage fame, Piven caused controversy and became the butt of late-night talk show jokes when he dropped out of the production abruptly, citing illness from excess sushi consumption as the reason.

The London revival will be staged by veteran British director Lindsay Posner, who has a long association with Mamet, having directed five previous productions of his plays in the U.K. Posner had a hit last season with an acclaimed Broadway revival of Terence Rattigan’s The Winslow Boy, which had been adapted and directed for the screen in 1999 by Mamet.

Speed-the-Plow will begin previews on Sept. 24 for a limited engagement through Nov. 29. Official opening night is Oct. 2. Casting for the remaining two roles is to be announced.